Raptor Red
Raptor Red is a 1995 American novel by paleontologist Robert T. Bakker. The book is a third-person account of dinosaurs during the Cretaceous Period, told from the point of view of Raptor Red, a female Utahraptor. It also features many of Bakker's theories regarding dinosaurs' social habits, intelligence, and the world in which they lived. Synopsis Raptor Red takes place approximately 120 million years ago, in the Early Cretaceous Period, a time when a land bridge had formed between Asia and North America, allowing groups of foreign dinosaurs to invade present-day Utah; Utahraptor was one of these. The lead character's name comes from symbols that the dinosaur learns as a hatchling to self-identify with. Each individual species of dinosaur or ancient creature is given a view in the style of Red's experiences; these include a baby Gastonia who uses its clubbed tail to attack what it does not understand, and a whip-tailed diplodocid who enjoys beating up predators. The adventures of an Aegialodon are also featured; according to the author, this emphasis was added as the mammal is part of the ancestral line to humans. Plot In the book's opening, Red and her mate are ambushing a herd of Astrodon, large herbivorous sauropods. The Astrodon are surprised, as they think small predators are deterred by their huge bulk. Utahraptor, being larger than any other resident raptor, and proceed to use teamwork to take down one of the Astrodon. Red's mate climbs onto the corpse, which then rolls over in the mud and traps him until he suffocates. A despondent Red wanders around the floodplain, nearly starving as a Utahraptor cannot successfully hunt big game on its own. Red eventually catches a familiar scent and follows it to a another female who is revealed to be her sister, now a mother with three chicks. Together, they hunt and bring food back for the young. A white pterosaur, one Red has seen since she hatched, leads the two to carrion and prey in exchange for a helping of meat. One day, while the pair are hunting a herd of Iguanodon, Red spots a young male also targeting their prey. The young male approaches Red and begins a courtship dance, but her sister hisses and chases him away; unfortunately, her hissing alerts the Iguanodon into a stampede, and the male flees. Red encounters him again while climbing a tree to escape a flash flood, and he again performs a courtship dance while hanging onto the tree branches. Red's sister begrudgingly allows the male to stay with them, provided he steers clear of her chicks. The pack spends a long while feeding on carrion left over from the receding flood waters, until their way of life is upset by an invasion of large Acrocanthosaurus, adding competition for prey which, along with the unexpected death of one of the chicks, puts strain on the pack. Red's sister and the male raptor get into a fight, and Red, torn between a prospective mate and her kin, tries to defuse the situation. Two Acrocanthosaurus notice the fighting Utahraptor and take advantage of the situation to attack them. Meanwhile, one of the chicks is on the beach, unaware that it is being stalked by a Kronosaurus. Red sees the danger and lures the female Acrocanthosaurus into deep water where the larger predator is dragged under by the Kronosaurus. Red saves her family, but at a price - her consort is forced away by Red's sister. Red, her sister and the chicks face continual threats from the Acrocanthosaurus and are forced up into the mountains, encountering snow and ice for the first time. They kill a segnosaur in a cave and turn the den into their nest. The older chick begins to accompany the adults on hunting expeditions. One day, they encounter a whip-tailed diplodocid - a strange sauropod which they have never seen before - who inflicts serious wounds on Red and her sister; the older chick is forced to set off alone and find the pack's food. This calamity coincides with the arrival of a large pack of Deinonychus, raptors smaller than Red's species. They sense the Utahraptor pack's weakness and surround the nest, waiting for them to become weak enough to attack. Red's sister dies, and Red is crippled and defenseless against the smaller dinosaurs. The Deinonychus close in and wait for her to die, but are driven back by a sudden attack - the older Utahraptor chick returns with Red's consort to defend the nest, driving the Deinonychus back. Some time later, the old white pterosaur circles over Red's mountain stronghold. and finds the pack has grown considerably. Both Red and the older chick have found mates and have chicks, who are having fun rolling down a hill. The satisfied pterosaur leaves with a mate and offspring of his own. Featured Species * Acrocanthosaurus * Aegialodon * Astrodon * Bernissartia * Deinonychus * Diplodocid (unidentified) * Gallimimus * Gastonia * Iguanodon * Kronosaurus * Pterodactylus * Segnosaur * Trinitichelys * Troodon * Utahraptor Category:Books